


Service Dogs for Superheroes (SDfSH): Disability Advocacy and Autism Acceptance

by literally_no_idea



Series: Service Dogs for Superheroes (SDfSH) Main Series [29]
Category: Deadpool - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Autism, Autism Acceptance Month 2019, Autism Spectrum, Autistic Bruce Banner, Autistic Character, Autistic Stephen Strange, Autistic Tony Stark, Autistic Wade Wilson, Disability, Disabled Character, Don't copy to another site, Gen, SDfSH 'verse, Service Animals, Service Dogs, autistic matt murdock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2020-01-01 07:47:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18331724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literally_no_idea/pseuds/literally_no_idea
Summary: Advocating for disability rights is something that becomes second nature to most of the heroes. Tony in particular is really good at it, and Natasha assumes it’s because of how much of his life he’s spent in the spotlight already, whether he wanted to or not.





	Service Dogs for Superheroes (SDfSH): Disability Advocacy and Autism Acceptance

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back to the series, or if you're new here, welcome!
> 
> First of all, happy autistic acceptance month/day! I am personally a self-diagnosed autistic person (there's like 1 doctor in my area that can test for it and there's a huge waiting list and it costs like $5,000, RIP me) and let me tell you, I'm so excited to yell about my hatred for Autism Speaks.
> 
> Second, I've put essentially two stories into this one installment. If you've seen the tumblr for this series, you will have seen most of the second half of this chapter, with one key difference: I've added Stephen Strange into the mix.
> 
> Third, I did (and still do) have mixed feelings about including Stephen as an autistic character, solely because of my feelings towards his MCU actor. If you have questions or comments about this topic, feel free to reach out to me on tumblr (link in the end notes).
> 
> Finally, enjoy!

Advocating for disability rights is something that becomes second nature to most of the heroes. Tony in particular is really good at it, and Natasha assumes it’s because of how much of his life he’s spent in the spotlight already, whether he wanted to or not.

 

He makes tweets, facebook, instagram, and tumblr posts, and even snapchats and youtube videos in support of service dog teams, disability rights, and accessibility. He brings it up in interviews and press statements, talks to both famous and unfamous disability advocates, and ensures that every Stark Industries building is made with fully accessible design.

 

It’s really not much of a surprise when the Avengers are all on Ellen together and the topic comes up. “So, in the last few years it seems like you’ve all started to get service dogs. How did this come about?” Ellen asks.

 

“Well, it was all Natasha’s idea,” Tony says, because everyone usually leaves the interview questions to him, “after Clint came home with Lucky, who was a stray at the time and had just been hit by a car, she decided to train the dog to help Clint, and I guess it just kept going from there.”

 

“So, Natasha, what made you think ‘Oh, a service dog would be good for them?’” Ellen focuses on Natasha, so she answers.

 

“Well, I think that because of what we do, people forget that we’re still human. We still bleed, and cry, and struggle, just like anyone else, sometimes even more, due to the higher-risk situations we find ourselves in. As the world will probably remember from the leaked Hydra documents, I used to be an international spy. You don’t get that far in that business without getting exceptionally good at reading people. So I saw the people I care about struggling, and decided to do something about it.”

 

Ellen nods. “People have accused many of you of faking disabilities to be allowed to bring your pets with you in public. What do you say to those people?”

 

Steve takes the question. “I’d say that those people have some ableism they need to look at in themselves. If people can believe that I’ve been enhanced by a serum, that Norse gods exist, and that a man can have his cells mutated by gamma radiation, why is it so hard to believe that someone has a disability? We might have gained a lot from what made us heroes. But we lost a lot, too. We lost a sense of normalcy. We lost people we loved and cared about, and we lost a lot of our privacy by being stuck in the public eye. We shouldn’t have to lose the right to keep the details of our health to ourselves while still being respected, and neither should anyone else. If someone tells you that they're disabled, believe them. Because God knows we’ve had to come a long way to believe it ourselves.”

 

* * *

 

 

When April arrives, so does the stigma around autistic people, and it’s not something that any of the autistic heroes particularly appreciate. On the street level, there’s only so much Wade and Matt can do; Wade spends as much time as possible trying to find and protect the kids whose families are advocating for Autism Speaks against their children's will.

 

He talks to as many other autistic adults as possible to encourage positivity in the streets, if not in the homes, and he of course spends as much time as possible wandering the streets himself, seeing as his suit is the very definition of “red instead.” He walks with Athanasia beside him, the service dog dressed in a bright red vest with only two patches: “Service Dog,” and “Acceptance, not Awareness.”

 

Meanwhile, Matt spends more time working in the courts; he meets up with autistic clients, encourages them to speak their truths and advocate for rights, acceptance, and protections under the law, provides the legal standings and precedents to back their stories and push for legislative changes. It’s difficult work, and Wade often sends the people he helps to Matt in the hopes that Matt can get their cases to the forefront.

 

April isn’t the only time Matt advocates for rights, of course, but it is one of the best times for changing policies around autistic people, what with the surge of terrible comments and stories and ads that Autism Speaks forces out into the world. Matt encourages his clients not to be afraid, is as open with them as they are with him, allowing himself to stim freely, without fear. Grace sits at his side, her own red vest with the patches “Handler May Experience Sensory Overload, Give Us Space,” “Service Dog,” and “Red Instead.”

 

Tony, Stephen, and Bruce, on the other hand, are working on the global scale, and they have a lot more to work with in terms of public perception; Tony paints one of the Iron Man suits solid red, and every professional suit he wears is some shade of red, never with a trace of blue. He publicly donates money to the Autism Self Advocacy Network, both national and international, and makes a show of denouncing Autism Speaks both professionally and unprofessionally.

 

At different times, he has tweets, Instagram videos, Facebook videos, and tumblr posts of him reacting to various Autism Speaks ads, usually with some version of gagging as his response. He reposts other autistic people’s articles and stories, posts studies and articles supporting vaccination and reassuring people that no, vaccines do not autism, and no, even if they did, that’s still not a problem, being autistic isn't a  _ problem _ .

 

Diva joins him in almost every video, tail wagging as he stares at the phone Tony records on, usually laying on Tony’s lap on the couch because the Autism Speaks videos always put Tony on edge, and having Diva do deep pressure therapy helps more than Tony likes to admit.

 

Stephen speaks out against harmful stereotypes of autistic people, and encourages autistic people to be themselves. He records the way his hands shake, shows the difference it makes when he stims, how even just humming to himself, tapping his foot focusing on the rhythm helps steady his hands.

 

He fights against functioning labels, reminds people that “high functioning” and “low functioning” are just ways of making people feel “less” or “more” based on how they fit into society.

 

He explains as much during one particular interview: “As superheroes, we don’t fit into society. We do not match people’s idea of a ‘normal’ human being. But that doesn’t make us better or worse than anyone else. It makes us different, and it means we have to approach the world in a different way. But it doesn't make us any less human. We try our best. We do what we can. We bring a new type of reality into the spotlight, but that doesn’t make us wrong, or even right. It just makes us people.”

 

Bruce is quite possibly the best in terms of public influence. When the Hulk isn’t fronting, when it’s Bruce himself, he’s the perfect image of what people expect from an abuse survivor; quiet, timid, unsure of himself, kind, and caring. Which, in all honesty, it shouldn’t matter whether he’s a “good” survivor or not, but public perception of autistic people still has a long way to go, and Bruce is nothing if not personable and agreeable.

 

So when April comes around, Bruce does interview after interview, internet post after internet post, press conference after press conference, and speaks the truth that he still struggles to speak sometimes, even with Smash at his side, nudging his hand with her nose in reassurance, standing between him and others when someone gets too close, when Bruce is too overwhelmed.

 

He tells everyone, in oral speech or other communication strategies, that he is one of many, many autistic people, Tony and Stephen included; that we are not dangerous, if anything, we’re in danger. In danger of being hurt, ignored, and pushed aside, by a narrative that Autism Speaks would rather shout over autistic people rather than listen to our stories.

 

That if the public is willing to accept and love a Norse god of thunder, an enhanced super soldier, and two former spies, why is it so hard to accept and love the autistic people in your day to day life? If you can accept that a Norse god struggles with different cultural norms, and you can explain them to him, why can’t you explain them to the autistic people who feel the same way? If you can accept Iron Man, in all of the flashy red and gold, why can’t you accept the autistic person who flaps their hands, or hums to themselves, or does anything else that doesn’t affect you?

 

And at the end of the month, they’re all still going to advocate for themselves, for other autistic people like them. Wade, Matt, Tony, Stephen, and Bruce will constantly advocate for acceptance, for love, for kindness and understanding, and they’re not going to limit themselves to just one month of the year to do so; but when the spotlight is on autistic people, when the spotlight is on the debate over what rights autistic people should have, they’re going to lead the way into that spotlight, and remind people that autistic people should have the same rights as you, because we’re people, and basic human rights should just be the beginning, not the end, of what we as autistic people deserve.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to leave you all with this:
> 
> -Respect disabled people, and trust disabled people when they tell you that they are disabled. Trust us. We've had so many people along the way tell us we were wrong (including professionals themselves), only to find out years later that we had a disability that was making our lives a living hell. We don't need to doubt ourselves more than we already have in this journey.
> 
> -I spent years trying to get therapists and psychiatrists to take me seriously about my current diagnoses. It took years for a psychiatrist to look at me and say "Why did no one diagnose you with PTSD? Why did no one diagnose you with Major Depressive Disorder? Why weren't they helping you?" It took years for a doctor to look at me and say "Why did no one diagnose fibromyalgia? Why has no one sent you to a neurologist for this?" It took years for anyone to believe me on those diagnoses. I have a feeling it will take years for people to believe me enough to test for other diagnoses as well.
> 
> -We don't become disabled when we get a diagnosis; we've already _had_ the disability, now it's just being formally acknowledged. We've always struggled; now we just finally have a chance to get help in that struggle.
> 
> With that said, if you want to see other drabbles and notes related to this series or want to talk to me about this series or anything else, you can find me on tumblr [ here ](https://servicedogsforsuperheroes.tumblr.com)
> 
> Bruce/Hulk's dog being named Smash and the original concept for this series comes from AO3 user [ thingswithwings ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thingswithwings/pseuds/thingswithwings) and their story [ "Five Ways to Get In Touch with Your Inner Mild-Mannered Scientist" ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/429749?view_adult=true)
> 
> As always, thank you so so much for reading.


End file.
